DHS

June 16, 2009 -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today nearly $1.8 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) preparedness grants designed to help states, urban areas, tribal governments and non-profit agencies improve their readiness by enhancing protection, prevention, response and recovery capabilities for all disasters. Secretary Napolitano was joined by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in announcing the grants.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that Washington state will receive over $30 million in federal Homeland Security Grant funding made possible through the Fiscal Year 2009 Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

The money will be used to help Washington state communities pay for emergency equipment, strengthen border security, improve their emergency coordination efforts, and prepare for a regional catastrophe.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded $90,983,282 in preparedness grants to Illinois. Today’s funding is part of a nationwide announcement of $1.8 billion in grants designed to help states, urban areas, tribal governments and non-profit agencies improve their readiness by enhancing protection, prevention, response and recovery capabilities for all disasters. Illinois will receive the following funding:

* Chicago, Illinois: $321, 221 in funding for Metropolitan Medical Response System which will improve regional mass casualty incident preparedness and response capabilities;    » read more »

June 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye and Senate Homeland Security Committee senior member Daniel K. Akaka announced today that the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawaii has been awarded more than $4.8 million for Fiscal Year 2009 by the Department of Homeland Security.

The center provides high quality disaster training to ensure that island communities throughout the Pacific are ready and able to respond, recover, and reconstruct after catastrophes. U.H. has one of seven federally funded FEMA National Domestic Preparedness sites nationwide.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Daniel K. Akaka and Daniel K. Inouye announced today that Hawaii will receive more than $12.6 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to strengthen the State's preparation, prevention, and disaster response capabilities:

* State Homeland Security Grant Program - the State of Hawaii will receive over $6.5 million to further invest in homeland security planning, equipment, and training.
* Urban Areas Security Initiative - the City and County of Honolulu will receive more than $4.7 million to further develop urban homeland security capabilities.    » read more »

June 16, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today announced that the State of Maine will receive $6,524,500 in State Homeland Security Grant Program funds. The funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) support regional emergency planning, training and exercise programs, as well as maintenance costs for regional response teams and equipment. A portion of these funds is typically made available to communities under a competitive grant program.    » read more »

Lyon, France and Swiftwater, Pennsylvania – June 11, 2009 – Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announces today it is ready to support public health efforts to respond to the emergence of the new A(H1N1) influenza strain following the decision made by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise the pandemic alert level from Phase 5 to Phase 6, the highest level of alert in the WHO global influenza preparedness plan.    » read more »

WHO raises influenza pandemic alert to phase 6

June 12, 2009, London, UK -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced it has raised the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6. As stated by the WHO, phase 6 indicates that there now is a pandemic ongoing caused by the new A (H1N1) influenza virus. The WHO has stated in their current assessment of the situation that this pandemic is currently of a moderate severity.

In addition to increasing production and supply of the anti-viral medication, Relenza (zanamivir), the company continues to focus efforts on the development of a candidate A (H1N1) adjuvanted influenza vaccine.    » read more »

First results achieved with A(H1N1) wild type strain shows significant time savings of cell-based production over egg-based manufacturing approach confirming its value in pandemic situations.

Basel, June 12 2009 - Novartis has successfully completed the production of the first batch of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, weeks ahead of expectations.

Cell-based manufacturing technology[1] allows vaccine production to be initiated once a pandemic virus strain is identified without the need to adapt the virus strain to grow in eggs, as with traditional vaccine technologies. This advance has cut weeks off the time required to begin vaccine production.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today granted deferred action for two years to widows and widowers of U.S. citizens—as well as their unmarried children under 18 years old—who reside in the United States and who were married for less than two years prior to their spouse’s death.    » read more »

8 June 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 8 June 2009, 73 countries have officially reported 25,288 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 139 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table.

Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005)    » read more »

June 5, 2009 -- Today, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, and Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske released President Obama’s strategy to stem the flow of illegal drugs and their illicit proceeds across the Southwest border and reduce associated crime and violence in the region.    » read more »

5 June 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 5 June 2009, 69 countries have officially reported 21,940 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 125 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table:

Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005)    » read more »

June 4, 2009 -- Albuquerque, N.M.—U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today the formation of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) Southwest Border Task Force, a diverse group of national security experts charged with examining the Department’s efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border and providing advice and recommendations directly to the Secretary.    » read more »

June 4, 2009 -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced fiscal year 2009 Operation Stonegarden grants—totaling $60 million—for 13 border states and the Territory of Puerto Rico to enhance the capabilities of federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to jointly secure U.S. borders and territories.

“Operation Stonegarden grants direct critical funding tostate, local and tribal law enforcement operations across the country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “I am proud to announce that the 2009 funding provides additional flexibility to ensure that our first responders are equipped with the resources they need to confront the complex and dynamic challenges that exist along our borders.”    » read more »